Tuesday, 29 April 2014

....on the meadow. A song from the 1955 musical film Oklahoma....but before my time. I enjoyed a good six hours birding yesterday on a pleasant sunny and calm day in some territory I think I might get to like.

At Conder Green, 2 Greenshank seen in the creeks today, but I found only one Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper this visit, 18 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon, and a Little Egret also noted. I counted just 40 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool which probably indicates maybe these are the remaining few still to depart for Iceland, they were on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock four hours later where I also estimated, 160 Bar-tailed Godwit and 25 Knot, all too distant for my liking below Waterloo Cottage, also of note, a solitary Whimbrel, a Little Egret, and 4 Eider.

At Cockersands my blood pressure count went into the danger zone when I saw 'a Mr Mutt in a high visibility green jacket with three free range hounds' out on Plover Scar at high tide. I steered clear of this guy and gave him thirty minutes to clear off, by which time c.500 Dunlin and 65 Ringed Plover had assembled on there to roost. By the time I got back to the motor where I found 7 Whimbrel opposite Crook Cottage, I had seen 19 Wheatear, 10 Linnet, 8 Tree Sparrow were in the Bank Houses area....

Sunday, 27 April 2014

If I'd have listened to the man on the radio reading out the weather forecast for Friday instead of regarding him as bloody annoying talking about 'rain later in the day' and ignoring him, I might have ended my birding much sooner than I did, instead I ended up a wet Mackerel again in the middle of nowhere.

It was pretty decent when I started the walk planned to reach Glasson Dock from Skerton Bridge to find a Common Sandpiper on the River Lune opposite Lune Road. A Whitethroat was in brambles opposite Luneside Cottages and I saw another later. Two Little Ringed Plover were on the flood and had the entire place to themselves. Before the rain came at Stodday I had heard 3 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, and noted 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Dunnock, and 2 Little Egret.

The rain aside, Friday wasn't building up to ever have been one of my best days birding.

Black-tailed Godwit.

Black-tailed Godwit. Howard Stockdale.

On Conder Pool last week, I was pleased to find my third stunning and elegant Black-tailed Godwit complete with rings, and was also pleased to hear from Howard to tell me of one he found also at Conder Green. His photographs above show the ringed bird in the group, and some editing I made to the image shows the combination well on both legs.

Both these birds were ringed as chicks in Iceland. Howards bird was ringed on 1 July 2012 at Munadstunga, Road 60 Kroksfjordur, NW Iceland, and has a long history of sightings, including one in Portugal at the same location as my bird - history below - which was in W.Portugal eight weeks prior to my finding it on Conder Pool last Thursday 24 April.

Whilst drafting this post I recieved the following e-mail from Böðvar....'I saw today one of your bird, feeding in wet grassland with 80 birds, the only one with rings'....

So the BTG seen on Conder Pool on 17 April was back in NW Iceland eight days later on 25 April having only been reported twice since it was ringed in July 2012, first at Sunderland Point February 2013, and second on Conder Pool 17 April last week, the history now reads....

Friday, 25 April 2014

But on a Cockersands 2.5 hour circular with diversions, I found at least 28 Wheatear, a few of which were in the Abbey Farm stubble field, in which the farmer had done them and 5 White Wagtail a favour with a recent muck and fly spreading exercise. Two Grey Partridge were a couple of rarities seen, with 6 Linnet, 4 Skylark, 3 Tree Sparrow, and a female Reed Bunting. Off Plover Scar 28 Eider, and I noted 7 Brown Hare during the visit.

There are still at least 150 Black-tailed Godwit in the Conder/Glasson area with 55 on Conder Pool. In the creeks, 7 Common Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, and a Greenshank. I saw my first Whitethroat on the coastal path along with a Speckled Wood and Orange Tip butterfly.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, 95 Black-tailed Godwit, and 65 Bar-tailed Godwit. Fourteen Eider here was a bit of an irony as not too long ago on this very blog I claimed the Eider to be at least unusual on this section of the Lune Estuary as viewed upstream from the bowling green according to my observations, but I have recently been seeing them regular here, obviously no longer 'unusual'.

Otter and Tawny Owl.

A visitor to the area stopped to talk and told me of an Otter he'd seen on the canal somewhere around the second lock was the best info he offered. Also a Tawny Owl he'd seen along the coastal path by a culvert was the best he offered me on this.And finally....

Chrysolina Beetle. Pete Woodruff.

An interesting little creature which I found at Cockersands, but confusion has set in on this one. I think Chrysolina menthastri - or Mint Beetle -can be ruled out, not necessarily, but this is scarce in Britain. So the confusion then is between C. hyperici and C. varians, I'm going for the latter. Help....anyone!

Thursday, 24 April 2014

According to Böðvar....on Monday only seven BTG had arrived in his area in NW Iceland, and on Tuesday there was still c.150 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool including another ringed bird, but unfortunately they flew off before I could get to read it, they appear to be favouring a field on the far side of the canal.

Also of note, 2 Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper, and 2 Wigeon looking set to stay the summer here again. A Willow Warbler was in song from the coastal path. On the Lune Estuary, another c.250 Black-tailed Godwit, and c.90 Bar-tailed Godwit. From Bodie Hill I saw 5 Eider.

In all the areas I visited on Tuesday a trickle of Swallow went through, but probably didn't go beyond a total of fifty individuals.Thanks to Howard for the BTG's, Warren for the Linnet, and Peter and Susan for the Swallow....All round excellent photography.

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

RED IS MY FAVOURITE COLOUR, AND THE COMBINATION OF RED AND BLACK FOR ME....WOW!!

I wanted to do my bit to get this sickening story to as many people as possible, and as far around the world as is possible.

I have even more admiration than usual if I'm seeing a....'celebrity getting his hands dirty'....and this man has done himself proud on this one, and in my view a dangerous one too. But take note he says that for many years he has lobbied the UK's bird charities to campaign to raise awareness about the slaughter of migrant birds on Malta. And that he equally tried to stimulate television programme makers to cover the issue both without success, but no surprise there to me I should add.

Well done the television companies who take him on to present nature programmes, but wouldn't take him on with this much more powerfully important issue.....Read On

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

When KT came up with the suggestion we paid Leighton Moss a visit on Sunday, it sounded a bright idea. Well....Leighton Moss means birds and that's good enough for me, and much better than no birding at all.

Marsh Harrier. Brian Rafferty.

Everything we saw was predictable, but it was good to see 3 Marsh Harrier during the visit, and BR's images are excellent, giving typical views of the birds hunting over the reeds at Leighton Moss, also a couple of Buzzard sightings. Records are more often ones of the male Blackcap in song and up to eight were heard during the visit, but we had good views of two males and more unusual a female on one occasion. There was a 'few' Chiffchaff mainly heard, but much fewer Willow Warbler I noted.

On the way to the Lower Hide a Great-spotted Woodpecker and a brief male Bullfinch seen, also 9 Red Deer were resting quietly in the corner of a field. Of note at the hide, 11 Pochard, a 'few' Gadwall, and a Great-crested Grebe. Large numbers of Sand Martin with a few House Martin seen, all feeding high up.

In the Lillian Hide, large numbers of 'chattering' RSPB members taking a look at....'not much about'....following a few quid spent in the shop, and bowl of soup with a roll in the kaf. At the Grisedale Hide excellent views of a Garganey pair with a Raven doing a little loitering overhead.Like I said....better than no birding at all!

Whimbrel. Brian Rafferty.

Calling in at Teal Bay in Morecambe yesterday I found 4 Whimbrel on the groyne at high tide just as I had thought I might.Thanks to Brian Raffertyfor the excellent trio of Marsh Harrier and Whimbrel.

Monday, 21 April 2014

I was delighted to recieve this brilliant image from HS of the equally brilliant Turnstone on Plover Scar at Cockersands just a few days ago, where you can get up close to the waders at high tide. The Turnstone is one of the most attractive of waders in it's stunning breeding plumage, and a bird which is a common winter visitor to our area, and a passage migrant.

Most birds wintering here are from the Greenland and Canadian Arctic breeding populations. A view supported by examples of two birds which were ringed in Lancashire, one recovered in Greenland during the breeding season, the other seen in the Canadian Arctic, similarly, one ringed in the Canadian Arctic was seen at Seaforth in Liverpool.

However, Fennoscandian breeders occur in Britain in autumn, and move on to winter in West Africa, a claim supported by a bird ringed in Finland in 1973 was recovered 12 years later at Banks Marsh in 1985. But a Turnstone longer lived than this one was of a bird ringed in Liverpool in 1977, it was seen 16 years later at the very same location in Liverpool in 1993.The BTG.

Seeing 700 Black-tailed Godwit last Thursday 17 April close up at Conder Green on the pool, and with two birds ringed as a bonus - with a total of 900 on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock later the same day - was one of those memorable moments which has made my interest in birds and birding the passion it has become today.

Both these images were taken yesterday 20 April, and are close to where the Black-tailed Godwits are ringed in NW Iceland. I am grateful to Böðvar for supplying me with the histories of this remarkable wader and for the photographs with such speed.

Saturday, 19 April 2014

....I had nothing better to do I got my fourth days birding in a row on Thursday, what's the world coming to I ask myself.

There's nothing particularly good about Conder Pool at the moment in that it's basically a lake with a couple of sunken islands, a large grassy area at the eastern end, and a grassy bank along the back edge and little to attract the waders. But as if to contradict all this, when I arrived there again on Thursday there was a minimum of 700 Black-tailed Godwit, add to this figure the beauty of this elegant tall wader in it's summer finery and boy was this a sight for sore eyes.

When the excitement died down with me I also noted the 2 Spotted Redshank progressing into their summer 'black as the devils waistcoat' plumage as my old mentor JL called it, also 2 Common Sandpiper, a Great-crested Grebe still here, and a few Swallow and Sand Martin hawking.

Turnstone. Plover Scar. Cockersands. Howard Stockdale.

At Cockersands I decided to travel light and just don my bino's - a mistake I nearly always avoid making - and got to Plover Scar to find a selection of waders - uncountable with any accuracy in a cold in your face howler - but would suggest, 60 Turnstone, 90 Dunlin, and a 'few'RingedPlover. On the round I counted 9 Wheatear, c.80 Golden Plover in an Abbey Farm field, saw a single Skylark, aStock Dove, and 3 Reed Bunting.

On the Lune Estuary three hours after the high tide I estimated an all time record of up to 900 Black-tailed Godwit had assembled here, and noted none on Conder Pool on my way home. Also - with estimates rounded off - 150 Redshank, 50 Dunlin, 50 Knot, 30 Bar-tailed Godwit and a solitary Goldeneye. And on the canal basin, a pretty even mix of c.60 Sand Martin and Swallow hawking. I'm grateful as ever to Howard for the excellent image of a stunning long distance migrant the Turnstone on Plover Scar at Cockersands, and to Marc for his equally excellent image of the Reed Bunting.

Friday, 18 April 2014

Birding by halves I'm afraid, but it was better than no birding at all, and this wider area - Yellow Wagtail territory - has to be given the full treatment sooner rather than later and that's my intention, but meanwhile....With my time limited on WednesdayI thought I'd give the River Lune a visit and first called briefly at Bull Beck where I had found five Little Ringed Plover last year in a short distance upstream from here but found none today. I have no idea what numbers are to be expected in this section of the River Lune, but there appears to be a healthy colony of Sand Martin in mid April this year, a Dipper flew downstream, with 3 Goosander seen. I heard 2 Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, and saw a distant soaring Buzzard.

Down the River Wenning from Hornby, and up the River Lune for no more than a mile from the confluence. I had excellent views of a singing male with a female Blackcap, two WillowWarbler, a Chiffchaff, 4 Reed Bunting, a good number of Sand Martin around but no sign of a colony though I didn't reach Lloyne Bridge, a single Swallow, 2 Common Sandpiper, and 11 Goosander.

On the edge of a flood in the field at the confluence a White Wagtail was conveniently accompanied by a Pied Wagtail which gave an excellent opportunity to take note of the details of plumage variation of the two. Many thanks to Jakob and Simon for the White/Pied Wagtail images.

Thursday, 17 April 2014

Donovan....Scottish singer/songwriter 1967.A proper day on Tuesday, with wall to wall sun and the wind dropped off nicely, all this dictated that I should leg it to Glasson Dock via Aldcliffe,Stodday, and Conder Green which turned out to be another....'Well that was a good idea Mr Woodruff'....day, and I managed 52 species along the way, most notable of which follow....

I was also well pleased to find 7 Little Ringed Plover, three of which were also on the flood.

Onward....and I saw/heard 10 Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap, and - disappointingly - just one Willow Warbler, but at least it represented my first of the year. Other notables were, a Gadwall pair on the wildfowlers pools, with 5 Little Egret and10 Swallow on the route.

I had little time for anything too time consuming at Conder Green - you know about the bus don't you - but noted 2 Spotted Redshank, and a Common Sandpiper. A Great-crested Grebe on Conder Pool is anything but usual and I don't recall my last one seen on here. On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock a good number of Black-tailed Godwit were obvious despite no time to linger, as were 3 Goldeneye, and 4 Eider.

Best butterfly was the fly by Brimstone, and though I made no notes on butterflies I saw single figures of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.Thanks to Marc, Antonio,and Warren for three brilliant and much appreciated images.

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

When I arrived at Conder Green yesterday morning I was met by the amazing sight of what resulted in a count of 610 Black-tailed Godwit on Conder Pool. I haven't searched my records yet, but I recall arriving at the pool one morning in March a few years ago to estimate a mix of 1,000 Black-tailed Godwit and Knot, a few of which are in the above poor quality image. I don't remember the ratio on that occasion, but think the number of BTG was slightly less than yesterdays. One record for sure, I never saw Knot on Conder Pool before or since this date. There are now 2 Common Sandpiper at Conder Green along with 2 Spotted Redshank, up to 8 Sand Martin were over the pool, and a Dunnock was in song by the viewing platform.

At Cockersands, at least 10 Swallow over in singles during my visit, 3 Wheatear, last Thursdays 120 Linnet again in stubble, 4 Skylark, and c.200 Golden Plover in flight like rockets over the fields then out of view. On Plover Scar at high tide, a mere eighteen waders, 12 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover, and singles of Turnstone, Redshank, and Oystercatcher.And at Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary on the falling tide, c.220 Black-tailed Godwit were almost certainly part of the earlier Conder Pool flock, c.60 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.450 Redshank, a drake Red-breasted Merganser, and 4 Greylag at the Conder mouth. Off Bodie Hill I counted 12 Eider and 3 Goldeneye.The Spotted Flycatchers are coming and will probably be somewhere to the south of your house anytime soon!

Sunday, 13 April 2014

Friday followed 12 March for being a good day to get myself back to Bowland with some long sunny spells on offer.

Surprised to find it was 11 months since last on Harrisend Fell on 7 May 2013, and having found no Stonechat there I abandoned any hope of their return there for another year, I started off there on Friday. The bad news is that I again found none, another visit there in May with the same result and I will abandon Harrisend once again as another year the Stonechat didn't return. Whilst on Harrisend I counted at least 28 Meadow Pipit, 4 Linnet, 3 Raven, a Buzzard, Kestrel, and 5 Peacock butterflies.

Fellside Farm at the foot of Hawthornthwaite Fell. Pete Woodruff.

With other plans in mind I gave Hawthornthwaite a look over the bottom half and found the pair of Stonechat seen here a month ago on 12 March, so a little hope of some breeding here with the one pair at least. Also into the little black book, 10 Meadow Pipit, a Wren, 3 Red Grouse, a Buzzard, with Curlew, Lapwing, and Oystercatcher noted, and 2 Peacock.

A wander for a couple of hours from Marshaw to Tower Lodge gave 4 Grey Wagtail to brighten things upon the Wyre, smart birds and a close second to the Yellow Wagtail. Also of note, 2 Jay, a Coal Tit, and another Peacock was the sum total for my efforts. Calling in at Abbeystead on the way to Lancaster to see if the Brambling might still be around I saw a nice Song Thrush collecting a beak full of worms and obviously breeding close by. Some excellent news gratefully recieved from my man in Bowland with 8 Stonechat seen at Langden on Friday, and 2 pairs at Croasdale yesterday. It was good to see Eric, Andrew, and Nicole out and about in Bowland on Friday.

Dipper. John Darbyshire.

The River Wyre.As on the 12 March, I noted no Dipper seen on the Marshaw Wyre again today.The River Wyre is located in the county of Lancashire and joins the Irish Sea at Fleetwood. The river is 22 miles long and is the longest river in England it's estuary can be seen from its source in the Forest of Bowland. I have only seen a small section of the river today in the Marshaw/Tower Lodge area, but throughout the rivers length it is a mix of fresh and salt water and is home to a varied population of fish including barbel, eels, perch, roach, sea trout and salmon. A wide selection of trees grow along the banks of the River Wyre including ash, oak, hazel and willow, it is also home to some rare plants and animals and is designated as a County Biological Heritage Site.Thanks to Noushka for the Jay, and to John for the Dipper.

Friday, 11 April 2014

I raked about at Cockersands for 3.5 hours yesterday, and it was 2.5 hours before I decided to turn off the road to take the Abbey Farm track and check out the stubble field and dung heap, and hey, what a good idea that turned out to be. So the Wheatear isn't some mythical creature after all 'cos I didn't just find the one in my pic - never photographic excellence my pics - but two. Not many minutes later in the adjoining stubble field I found up to 120 Linnet, an excellent count for the species in our area. Also of note, 2 Swallow, 10 Meadow Pipit, and singing Skylark. I estimate up to 150 'swans' in the distant fields and with only my secondary bino's round my neck I reckon the vast majority Mute Swan but a 'few' Whooper Swan still here, I must try to get to grips with figures next visit.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, by recent comparison low number of c.40 Black-tailed Godwit and 28 Bar-tailed Godwit, with just one female Goldeneye seen, and as if to turn my suggestion on its head....'scarce in this area of the River Lune as viewed from the bowling green'....8 Eider seen today. Fifteen Sand Martin were seen as ten over the canal basin, and five flying up the River Lune.

Conder Pool held the wonderful sight of 195 Black-tailed Godwit quietly resting in the far west corner, 2 Spotted Redshank and a Common Sandpiper were in the creeks.

And finally....a little picture gallery for your entertainment.

Osprey. Howard Stockdale.

I've 'missed' at least four birds I'd very much liked to have seen recently at Cockersands, like this Osprey seen flying over the Whooper Swans off Moss Lane....

Marsh Harrier. Howard Stockdale.

....and this Marsh Harrier, also seen recently in the Crook Farm area at Cockersands. Thanks for the images Howard....excellent.

And I thought you might like to know, Mrs Mutt has decided the marshes in the Conder/Glasson area are good for exercising the mutts. This woman has eight dogs with her on this occasion, though that doesn't look like the count in this pic.

Incidentally, yesterday I saw another walkies outfit a mile out on the sands off Cockersands Abbey walking south towards the Cocker, this person had 18 mutts in her charge. I assumed she was aware of the tide table, even three hours prior to high tide and none of them would have got back across the Cocker Channel and would have been trapped on the sands.

Its quite amazing how rapid is the transformation from winter to summer plumage for these birds, and by this weekend the two Spotted Redshank - which obliged again at Conder Green - will be in advanced plumage like the one in the image above. The Conder was pretty deserted, all the birds of note were on Conder Pool and included, Common Sandpiper, at least 35 Black-tailed Godwit, 25 Redshank, and 15 Tufted Duck.

On the Lune Estuary, the estimate of 300 Black-tailed Godwit still holds, though I saw just a 'few' Bar-tailed Godwit today, c.350 Redshank were accompanied by 2 Knot, 4 Goldeneye appear to be the last of the species, and 2 Eider seen as if to kick in the head my recent suggestion they're scarce in this section of the Lune Estuary. I heard a Chiffchaff by Christ Church.

On Jeremy Lane a Little Egret came out of a ditch as I drove by. I had to retreat from Cockersands but had time to see c.250 Golden Plover in an Abbey Farm field, and had little opportunity to note other than a 'few' Whooper Swans still in distant inland fields.

Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper at Conder Green.

It will be interesting to see what the Spotted Redshank/s at Conder Green will do this year, it is only absent from here for little more than 8 weeks in the year, and if my records from 2013 are anything to go by, the last sighting was of three birds on 1 May, then a return two months later on 3 July when I saw one bird. Small numbers of Spotted Redshank have wintered on the Lancashire coast since the late 1950's, and a count of seven birds was made on the Ribble Estuary in December 2001.

Records from 2013 for the Common Sandpiper show that the species was only absent from Conder Green for only a little over 4 weeks from the end of May, then ten seen on 3 July. A few birds have wintered in Lancashire since the 1960's and one has wintered again at Conder Green for its fourth year, a species that winters as far south as W. Africa, but for whatever reason has chosen to stay here. Between November 2004 - March 2005 saw reports of up to 154 Common Sandpipers overwintering in Great Britain, and there is evidence that birds may show fidelity to their wintering sites.Thanks to PT and DC for the excellent SR and CS for the much appreciated photographs, 'clik the pik'....they really are excellent.